A 26-year-old man who gunned down his cousin during an apparent manic episode at the victim’s Moreno Valley home was convicted of second-degree murder after a Riverside jury deliberated one day.
Jurors in the trial of Angel Carlos Mendoza returned unanimous verdicts Thursday afternoon on the murder count and sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations for the slaying of 30-year-old Manuel Garcia in 2021.
Riverside County Superior Court Judge Timothy Hollenhorst sent jurors behind closed doors briefly late Wednesday afternoon following closing statements by the prosecution and defense in the nearly two-week trial. The panel resumed deliberations Thursday, announcing findings before the end of the day.
Hollenhorst scheduled a sentencing hearing for May 2 at the Riverside Hall of Justice.
Mendoza, who is being held without bail at the Robert Presley Jail, is slated to receive a sentence of 30 years to life in state prison.
According to a trial brief filed by the District Attorney’s Office, Mendoza’s family told authorities the defendant would sometimes behave strangely, making paranoid statements about people wanting to harm him and that he could hear voices.
Despite the alleged episodes of “persecutory hallucinations,” Mendoza had not been formally diagnosed with any psychiatric illnesses, though his mother, whose identity was not disclosed in court documents, told sheriff’s deputies that he possibly suffered from bipolar disorder and schizophrenia — which he denied.
On the afternoon of May 1, 2021, Mendoza went to visit Garcia at his house in the 24800 block of Heil Drive, near Inlet Street, where the victim operated a backroom tattoo parlor, in which the two cousins would socialize.
According to court papers, Garcia’s wife and two children were in another part of the house, but the woman could vaguely hear the conversation between the two men. She later told detectives that at some point during their interaction, her husband commented, “You’re tripping. Why would I do that?”
Immediately afterward, four gunshots rang out, and Garcia stumbled out of the room gravely wounded, making his way to the master bedroom, where he collapsed, the brief stated. Detectives later surmised the victim was trying to reach a drawer where he’d hidden a .25-caliber pistol, which he may have intended to use to protect his family.
Mendoza bolted out of the house as the victim’s wife, a nurse’s assistant, performed CPR and her daughter called 911, according to the brief.
A neighbor observed the defendant running to his car with a .40-caliber Glock semiautomatic handgun in plain sight. He fled the location, “driving in a reckless manner on his way” to his mother’s residence, according to the prosecution.
Garcia was taken to nearby Riverside University Medical Center, where he died hours later.
Central Homicide Unit investigators gathered sufficient evidence for an arrest warrant and intercepted Mendoza leaving his apartment on Hemlock Avenue the following morning. He attempted to run away and allegedly reached for his Glock pistol but dropped it on command, at which point he was taken into custody without further incident, according to the brief.
“In recounting the event, the defendant stated he and the victim were hanging out and smoking marijuana,” the document stated. “He denied drinking or using any illicit substances. He denied any argument or altercation.”
At the request of prosecutors, a pretrial psychological evaluation was conducted.
“The defendant admitted to having some mental health issues, including hearing voices, but indicated that he could not discern what they were saying,” the brief said. “He denied hearing voices on the day of his arrest.”
He had no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.